Softball Preview: Ceres Bulldogs vs. Los Banos Tigers
Ceres is 8-2 against Los Banos since March of 2019, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Tuesday. The Ceres Bulldogs will head out on the road to square off against the Los Banos Tigers at 4:00 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Los Banos is hoping to do on Tuesday what Pacheco couldn't on Thursday: put an end to Ceres' winning streak, which now stands at five games. Ceres never let Pacheco onto the board and left with a 10-0 win.
The team relied heavily on Isabela Giraldes, who scored two runs while going 2-for-3. Elizabeth Figueroa was another key contributor, scoring two runs while going 1-for-2.
Meanwhile, Los Banos had already won five in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 8.4 runs), and they went ahead and made it six on Thursday. They were the clear victor by a 16-3 margin over the Vikings.
Moxie Barton was a major factor no matter where she played. She struck out ten batters over five innings while giving up three earned runs off five hits (and not a single walk). Barton has been consistent recently: she hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in 13 consecutive pitching appearances. Barton was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring four runs and stealing two bases while going 3-for-3.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Isabel Orozco, who went 4-for-4 with four runs, two stolen bases, and five RBI. She is on a roll when it comes to triples, as she's now hit at least one in the last three games she's played. Another player making a difference was Gracie Orozco, who went 1-for-3 with two runs, a triple, and two RBI.
Ceres' victory was their seventh straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 11-8. As for Los Banos, they are on a roll lately: they've won seven of their last eight contests, which provided a nice bump to their 18-3-1 record this season.
Tuesday's game will be a test for both team's pitchers. Ceres hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .349. However, it's not like Los Banos struggles in that department as they've averaged .356. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Ceres took their win against Los Banos when the teams last played back in March by a conclusive 11-4. The rematch might be a little tougher for Ceres since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
